How we can help you

Apply for Financial Assistance using the Lightning Reach portal.

For applications for financial assistance you can apply by clicking on Register for Help below which will take you to the Lightning Reach portal. This platform is provided by our trusted partner, Lightning Reach, a social impact startup which uses secure technology to make the application process as quick and safe as possible for you.

A simple 3 step process

Register and complete your profile here
When asked to specify which of the Armed Forces you have served in, make sure to select ‘Royal Navy’, ‘Royal Marines’, ‘Merchant Navy in support of the Armed Forces’ or from the roles / industries list to ensure you are matched to Naval Children’s Charity.
Once you’ve completed your profile, you should receive a support match to The Naval Children’s Charity. Click ‘continue’ to complete and submit your application.
Provide your supporting evidence and submit your application to The Naval Children’s Charity.

Once your application has been made a caseworker will be in touch as soon as possible, this is usually within 3 days.

The profile you create on the Lightning Reach portal can also help you to find and apply for support from other support organisations easily and securely. We recommend that you submit your application to The Naval Children’s Charity first before submitting applications to other organisations.

For help with completing your application, visit Lightning Support and search for ‘The Naval Children’s Charity’.

If you have a question or not sure what help you need and require information or advice please use this online form.

Alternatively, If you would prefer to call our casework team, we can be contacted on 023 9263 9534, our office hours are 0830-1600 Monday to Friday.

How we can help you

The Naval Children’s Charity supports children up to and including the age of 25 whose parent(s) serve or have served in the Naval Service: Royal Navy, Royal Marines, QARNNS, WRNS, their Reserves and the RFA. If you need information or advice regarding support for your child(ren) please fill in the form to the best of your knowledge. One of our caseworkers will then contact you.

If you would prefer to call us we can be contacted on 023 9263 9534, our office hours are 0830-1600 Monday to Thursday and 0830-1300 on Friday.

Name

Date of birth

Address

Email

Contact Number

Relationship to the service person

Service Number

Name and Dates of birth of child(ren)

Summary of help required

We will contact you and may need to get further supporting information from you. General Data Protection Regulations – We work with, and alongside, many other military charities and organisations to help deliver our support service. On occasion, we may need to pass your details onto them if we feel they can better/also assist or are the official delivery channel.

I am happy that my details will be shared with relevant welfare service providers in order for the Naval Children’s Charity to deliver the support I request at the time.

Clare Scherer

Clare started as a consultant with the Naval Children’s Charity in 2008 and became Chief Executive in 2018. She has a background in Fundraising, Strategy and Charity expertise. She is Co-Chair of the Educational Trusts Forum, Vice Chair of the SCiP Alliance Management Group, Chair of the SCiP Alliance Funders Forum and on the Steering Group of the SCiP Alliance Voice of the Service Child. She is a Trustee and Treasurer of Children England, a member of the Institute of Fundraising and the Institute of Leadership and Management and a Fellow of Clore. She was the General Manager and founder of Winston’s Wish West Sussex. She has a degree in Engineering and holds City & Guilds in Upholstery and Design and was formerly a member of the Association of Lighting Designers, working in the Theatre industry as a Lighting Designer in the 1980s.

Sara Smith

Sara has been working for the Naval Children’s Charity for just over 7 years, initially as a caseworker and now as Head of Welfare, responsible for the team of caseworkers. She previously worked for the Naval Families Federation and RN FPS. She has been a Naval spouse for 25 years and became a Naval mum when her son joined the RN in 2019. Her lived experience from being in a Service family is one of her main strengths and helps every day in her role with the charity, as she understands the challenges that some of our families are dealing with, and giving the empathy to empathise and identify the support that they and their children require.

Jo McEvoy

Jo McEvoy joins us as Head of Finance following a successful track record with over 30 years experience in the charity and not-for profit arena. Jo is FMATT qualified and is experienced in key financial processes, implementing change, monitoring financial performance, minimising financial risk, forecasting, payments, and general accounting duties. Prior to joining the NCC Jo worked for over 17 years as a Business and Finance Manager for a national fishing charity and was a key member of their Senior Management Team leading on all financial matters from payments to year end audits.

Kim Hill

Working in education outreach for the past 7 years, Kim is incredibly passionate about promoting fair opportunities for all young people, regardless of their background and circumstances. Bringing her experience of project and events management to NCC, Kim has worked in a variety of roles designing and delivering programmes for young people and their supporters.

Milly Luxford

Milly has been blessed to have had a varied career, which took her all over the world and allowed her to meet some truly wonderful people.

As radio broadcaster in commercial radio she had many incredible adventures included time spent with, and reporting on the UN in Cyprus and out on operations in Afghanistan. This led her to join BFBS (British Forces Broadcast Service). Traveling and broadcasting to our Armed Forces in NI, Gibraltar, Brunei and finally Germany.

Milly decided to hang up her headphones when she found out about a fantastic opportunity at the Naval Children’s Charity, and hasn’t looked back. She is also ‘Mum’ to Klaus, the office mascot!

Jodie Corney

Jodie is an experienced administrator with a background in libraries & archives and data management.

Caroline Stapleton

After graduating in English Literature, Caroline spent 16 years in London as an Executive Assistant within the media and financial sectors, returning to her hometown of Portsmouth following the birth of her first child.

Prior to joining NCC Caroline was Secretary at the Globe & Laurel Magazine (the Journal of the Royal Marines) for 5 years where she gained great insight into Corps life and working for a Charitable organisation.

Cheryl Owens

Before coming to NCC, Cheryl was a College Lecturer for 10 years following roles in the community as a Parent Liaison Officer and Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator/Library Manager in a primary school. Prior to this she was employed by the NHS as a Personal Assistant to Consultant oncologist and urologists. She has experience in the Naval community.

Paris Brimecome

Paris is passionate about supporting families that are struggling. May that be a one off crisis or challenges that family life brings along. Paris has been with the charity for 5 years and previously worked for The Royal Navy and Royal Marines welfare for 17 years, where she saw first hand the challenges serving families experienced. Paris has also worked in a refuge for young mum’s with babies, managed three homeless hostels for the council and worked in a unit for young people with additional needs. Paris loves to spend time with her daughter who is a primary school teacher, DIY and travelling where she can snorkel and experience nature’s wonders.

Julie Whittingham

Julie has been passionate about supporting children and young people, since she qualified as a Youth and Community Development Worker in 1995. In 2003 she joined the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Welfare team as Youth & Community Officer, where she worked for 15 years. This helped her develop her understanding of military life and the impact of service life on children. In 2018 she joined the Pastoral Team at Oaklands Catholic Secondary School as Safeguarding & Welfare Manager, where she worked for 3 years, prior to joining the charity as one of our Caseworkers. Julie is Portsmouth born and bred, she is married to Darren and they have an elderly black cat called Lars.

Angela Huntington

Angela initially trained as a Midwife and enjoyed this career for over 10 years before taking time out to have a family of her own with her Royal Navy partner. She then moved on to become a caseworker for Citizens Advice, advocating for vulnerable families in need of support and joint working with Social Services locally. She has experience of supporting families through tough times and understands the complexities of living within the Naval community.

Daniela Costa

Daniela is a Portsmouth University graduate where she completed a Masters focusing on international crimes and the role of private military companies in armed conflicts. Daniela previously worked as a community keyworker supporting women in contact with the criminal justice system, with a focus on domestic abuse and women’s issues and this has provided her with experience around housing, benefits and mental health. She has joined the NCC recently after deciding that it was time to start a new challenge.

Frankie Stride

Frankie is a psychology graduate with experience in mental health, learning disabilities and forensic care. Frankie is a naval child herself and also has a serving naval partner.

Despoina Sarikou

I hold a degree in Early Childhood Education with specialisation in Psychology & Special Education. For six years, I worked in Scotland as an Additional Support Needs Teacher. My mission has always been to ensure that each child not only thrives academically, but also feels secure, supported and truly happy.

A year ago, I relocated to Portsmouth to support my partner’s new role in the navy. This move inspired me to take my career in a new direction, focusing on supporting the unique needs of the navy community.

Allison Donnelly

Allison has been working with young people and families in a community setting since 2001 . She has recently joined our team as Outreach Caseworker based in Helensburgh Scotland were she will be working with other partner agencies supporting submariner families and veterans. Allison herself is a submariner family with her husband serving for over 20years. Prior to this Allison worked for a local Youth Charity managing Young Carers Service . She has vast experience in working within the Third Sector and community based projects supporting children and young people.

Karolina Kubica

Karolina graduated in International Relations with specialisation in global security and children in conflict areas. She has gained valuable experience working with the Armed Forces Community throughout her work at SSAFA helping serving personnel, veterans, and their families in a time of need. She is passionate about supporting those with no voice – animals and children, advocating for children with learning difficulties and disabilities. Based in Plymouth, Karolina will be an Outreach Caseworker for the Southwest region

Volunteer

If you would like to volunteer or raise funds to help us support Naval Children enter your details below and we will get in touch with a volunteer pack

We're Hiring!

We're Hiring!

Meet our team

Clare Scherer MBE

Chief Executive

023 9263 9536

Sara Smith

Head of Operations

023 9263 9534

Jo McEvoy

Head of Finance

02392 984 775

Kim Hill

Project Manager

02392 984 775

Milly Luxford

Digital Marketing & Community Engagement

02392 984 775

Jodie Corney

Database Administrator

02392 984 775

Caroline Stapleton

Office Administrator

02392 984 775

Our Caseworkers

caseworkers@navalchildrenscharity.org.uk 023 9263 9534

Cheryl Owens

Caseworker Team Manager

Paris Brimecome​

Senior Caseworker & Education Lead

Julie Whittingham

Caseworker

Angela Huntington

Caseworker & Debt/Benefits Lead

Daniela Costa

Caseworker & Safeguarding/Non UK Lead

Frankie Stride

Triage Caseworker & Mental Health, Wellbeing & Neurodiversity Lead